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Course Description

This course aims to provide you with a grounding in the basic grammatical structures of German in order to communicate at a basic level in essential social and survival situations in German speaking countries. Though the emphasis is on speaking you will also learn grammatical structures and sentence pattern, which will form the basis for further progression in German. You will learn to read basic messages, letters and texts, understand authentic dialogues and produce your own dialogues in group and/or pair work exercises during the class. Written exercises will be completed at home.

The following topics will be covered: Greetings and farewells, talking about yourself and your family, talking about work and studies, family and spare time, shopping, food and drink, booking hotels, giving directions, time and talking about daily routines.

The course will also cover the main grammatical points you need at this level which will include the following: verb endings, present/perfect tenses, the imperative, personal pronouns, cases (nominative, accusative, dative), modal verbs, comparative/superlative.

Who is this course for?

This course is for students who are absolute beginners of German, who wish to be able to hold basic conversation when travelling to Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Learning and Teaching

The emphasis of the course is on participation and students are encouraged to actively participate in class through various non-threatening forms of activities designed to stimulate communication.

Coursework and Assessment

For us the most important element of assessment is that it should enhance your learning. Our methods are designed to increase your confidence and we try very hard to devise ways of assessing you that are enjoyable and suitable for adults with busy lives.

To award credits we need to have evidence of the knowledge and skills you have gained or improved. Some of this has to be in a form that can be shown to external examiners so that we can be absolutely sure that standards are met across all courses and subjects.

The assessment of this course is divided into four parts to assess each of the following skills: speaking, listening,reading and writing. It is designed to enhance what you have learnt during the course.

Additionally to the weekly sessions, we recommend that you spend time between the lessons, revising and practising what has been done in class.

Reading suggestions

Library and Computing Facilities

As a student on this course you are entitled to join and use the University library and computing facilities. You can find out more about these facilities on our website cardiff.ac.uk/learn under Student Information, or by ringing the Centre on (029) 2087 0000.

Accessibility of Courses

Our aim is access for all. We aim to provide a confidential advice and support service for any student with a long term medical condition, disability or specific learning difficulty. We are able to offer one-to-one advice about disability, pre-enrolment visits, liaison with tutors and co-ordinating lecturers, material in alternative formats, arrangements for accessible courses, assessment arrangements, loan equipment and Dyslexia screening. Please contact the Centre on (029) 2087 0000 for an information leaflet.

Further Information

A range of further information can be found on our web site cardiff.ac.uk/learn or in Choices. This includes the times and dates of courses and an explanation of accreditation and credit levels.